Colour themes

Colour themes

Having a closer look on the film, one can see, that all the colours used in it are chosen with a special intention. The main colours appearing, are green, blue, red and yellow. The colours green and blue are chosen to distinguish the inside from the outside of the Matrix, the Nebuchadnezzar.

Green:

Inner side of Matrix makes you feel sick.

Technical things are green       control by machines

Blue:

"reality" is filmed with blue lights

Red:

(signal colour =>  appears to emphasize important details )

Positive: Guide into personal freedom

Negative: Danger and temptation/diversion

Yellow:

Faith => appears in important changes of the film

Conspicuous scenes:

oracle

market

garbage ban

agent's death

Green:

telephone cell

letters of alarm watch

computer

map of agent

=> control of machines, decaying world, makes one feel sick

Blue:

reality

Nebuchadnezzar

Blue lights

Starts with blue pill

=> more at home, but not comfortable

Red:

( important details => signal colour)

positive: - Lady with rabbit ( make up ) => Trinity

reflections on the water => Morpheus

red chairs/ pill => truth

plantations => reality

===> freedom ( breaks out of his incubator )

negative

-temptation:

-red woman

-meat + wine

-danger:

red woman (?)

red shirt of Cypher

red eyes of machines

red floor ( déjà vu ) ==> trap

Yellow :

Faith ( important changes )

Neo's + Agents' coats

Fight between Morpheus and Agent Smith + between Neo and Smith

Buttons on the phone, Cypher answers

Conspicuous scenes:

(The situation becomes more complex)

Garbage ban ( red + green)

Oracle:

pillows ( red + green); dress (green) + apron (red) ; kitchen magnets on the refrigerator                                                                                                                                (tricolour)

Market ( three colours)

Contrast between blue + green => more conspicuous in the end

Agent's death=> division of green and yellow => a. I. is no longer our future

MATRIX: Was there a scene in the film that was particularly challenging from conception to actual execution?

BILL: This is the most difficult movie I have ever heard about. There are no simple scenes. I wish there was just one scene where you could sit down and photograph people, but there isn't. No shot is straight forward. The brothers always make their work interesting, even if it is just a normal shot they layer it with effects and the different realities, themes and colors.

MATRIX: Can you tell me about the two colors that are used to distinguish the inside from the outside of the Matrix?

BILL: To distinguish the Matrix from 'reality', from the Nebuchadnezzar and the pods, 'reality' was given a cooler look, a bluer, more normal, less sickly look. The future in the film is cold, the sun is blotted out, there is no real warmth unless it is artificial heat, so that is whey they went for the cool side. Whereas the Matrix, created by the computers, is a decadent, decaying world, so it has a green hue. These are the two different colors - green and blue. The Matrix should make you feel sick, and in 'reality' you should feel a little more at home, but never comfortable. If you make it gold and warm you know that it is home, a safe haven. The other day I started using warm lights, I did this unconsciously for the first time in Neo's bedroom. It just felt right that it should be slightly warm. As harsh as that bunk is, it is the only home he has got.